This certificate is designed for RPNs employed in and/or seeking to advance their practice in obstetric nursing following a holistic, comprehensive model of care. Content spans pregnancy through postpartum and newborn with a focus on low risk situations and settings. It includes understanding historical perspectives and current themes, relevant assessments, evidence-informed nursing interventions, and development of collaborative partnerships with obstetrical clients, families, support persons, and other inter-professional team members.
There are opportunities for developing high level critical thinking, care planning, leadership and professional practice skills while exploring personal reflection and ethics. Special attention is paid to current trends in maternity care in hospital and community settings in Canada. This certificate is based on the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN) Perinatal nursing standards in Canada and the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) competencies for perinatal nurses.
Please note that the courses in this certificate need to be taken in a specific order. Check that you have obtained the necessary pre-requisite prior to registering for a course. Learners without the necessary pre-requisites will be removed from courses and charged the administrative fee.
For nurses enrolled in legacy or previous versions of the certificate/theory courses, after March 2022, certificates for legacy programs will no longer be granted. The program advisor can provide information on how to upgrade your certificate to the latest curriculum.
Admission Requirements
Academic Partnership with Canadian Nurses Association
Additional Information
New! Please be advised that this Obstetric Nursing Certificate will be phased out. The current certificate will not be offered after Winter 2026.
We will be phasing out the current courses as follows:
Obstetric Nursing - RPN |
|
Current Course |
Last Offering |
OBST 520 |
Winter 2025 |
OBST 521 |
Summer 2025 |
OBST 524 |
Fall 2025 (7-week course, starts Sept 2025) |
OBST 608 |
No Phase Out |
OBST 529 (Clinical) |
Winter 2026 |
Please note, OBST 608 will remain unchanged and will continue to be offered because it is also a course within the Lactation Support Certificate.
To complete the current certificate, students are encouraged to undertake courses within the timelines above. Students who do not complete the courses within the above timelines will be unable to finish their current Obstetric Nursing certificate.
To ensure a smooth transition from coursework to practical application, all learners are required to complete their placement within one year of finishing the required courses. This timeline is essential for maintaining the integrity and relevance of the skills acquired during your studies. We encourage learners to initiate their placement as soon as possible to fully benefit from the hands-on experience.
If you wish to be enrolled in the Obstetric Nursing - RPN certificate program please select “Next Steps” below.
Next StepsUse the Quick-Look Availability Scheduler to see available courses in a calendar view and plan towards achieving your certificate.
Course Name | 2025/2026 Academic Year | 2026/2027 Academic Year | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Compulsory | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar |
OBST 520: Essentials of Pre-Pregnancy and Prenatal Care | |||||||||||||||
OBST 521: Understanding Labour, Birth and Women and Newborns at Low Risk | |||||||||||||||
OBST 524: Postpartum and newborn: Assessment and initial management | |||||||||||||||
OBST 529: Obstetric Nursing - Clinical Practicum for the RPN | |||||||||||||||
OBST 608: Human Milk Feeding Basics |
The registered practical nurse participates in this clinical course and applies theoretical principles and knowledge within the acute perinatal clinical setting. The registered practical nurse demonstrates safe and professional practice at the novice level in the postpartum unit and observes during one shift within the labour and birth unit. The registered practical nurse follows the Perinatal Nursing Standards in Canada (Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses, [CAPWHN] 2018) and central concepts that underpin perinatal nursing of the Canadian Nurses’ Association. By establishing relationships with the postpartum person and neonate at low risk and the family, the registered practical nurse will facilitate communication, assessment, and education skills with families from diverse backgrounds in varied provincial level 1 or 2 hospital settings. The registered practical nurse collaborates effectively with Humber College faculty and members of the health care facility in this preceptored, clinical course and reflects daily upon learning opportunities.
The Obstetric Nursing-RPN clinical is 150 hours (in postpartum with 1 shift of observation in Labour and Birth) and must be completed within a 3-month term. Nurses are required to do two shifts weekly following their preceptor’s schedule.
Step 1: Start your clinical placement application process by completing this Clinical Placement Request Form. Once we receive this form, we will add your name to the clinical waitlist and send you detailed information about the clinical placement process. Your placement requests will be submitted to the hospitals for the next term according to the placement request submission deadline. The placement requests are submitted three months in advance.
Step 2: Once you have submitted your Clinical Placement Request Form, please start working on the Health Clearance requirements, which may take three months to obtain
Note: You will be notified to register for the Clinical CourseLearners critically examine their knowledge base, attitudes, and biases regarding infant feeding and learn about the significance of the WHO Code & Baby Friendly Initiative. Students also learn how to assess and manage common concerns with human milk feeding in the initial postpartum period. Emphasis will be placed on effective communication skills and the impact of social support for the infant and family, and on promoting self-efficacy in infant feeding. This course is based upon the Canadian Nurses’ Association competencies, the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN), Public Health Agency of Canada, and the clinical competencies of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.
Want to know more about this offering? We can help.
Humber Continuous Professional Learning Health Sciences & Wellness
cplhealthsciences@humber.ca
416.675.6622 ext. 4554
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